Anthropogenic Activities and the Degradation of the Environmental Quality in Poor Neighborhoods of Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire: Abia Koumassi Village

Journal of Environmental Protection, 2013, 4, 1099-1107 1099 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jep.2013.410126 Published Online October 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jep)

Anthropogenic Activities and the Degradation of the Environmental Quality in Poor Neighborhoods of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Abia Koumassi Village

S. Loko1, K. E. Ahoussi2, Y. B. Koffi2, A. M. Kouassi3, J. Biémi2

1Laboratoire de chimie et de Microbiologie, Université Technologique et Tertiaire Loko (UTTLOKO), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; 2Unité de Formation et de Recherche (UFR) des Sciences de la terre et des Ressources Minières (STRM), Université de Cocody, Cocody, Côte d’Ivoire; 3Département des Sciences de la Terre et des Ressources Minières (STeRMi), Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët Boigny (INP-HB), Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Received May 22nd, 2013; revised June 27th, 2013; accepted July 29th, 2013

Copyright © 2013 S. Loko et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT This study deals with the degradation of the quality of the water environment in the village of Abia Koumassi, due to the pollution that has risen in Abidjan. The method used in this study is based on piezometric measurements, the physico-chemical and microbiological analysis. The results were processed using statistical and hydrochemical methods. The groundwater in the village is shallow, with a piezometric average level 0.55 m. The groundwater flows from the north of the village to the south. The Water resources have a neutral pH that varies between 6.8 and 7.43. Water temperature varies from 27.7˚C to 29.8˚C. The Water is highly mineralized, with electrical conductivity ranging from 585 µS/cm to 1310 µS/cm. The groundwater contains high levels of nitrate (116.81 mg·L−1) greater than the WHO standard for drinking water. High levels of Metallic Trace Elements (Ni, Zn, Co, Cr, Pb, Fe, Cu and Cd) are found in the water. Microbiological analysis shows that the water contains important levels of Escherichia coli, faecal streptococci, Clostridium perfringens and thermo tolerant coliform. These microorganisms create microbiological pollution in the water from the area. The Water resources of the village are facing a recent faecal pollution of human origin. This pollution comes from anthropogenic activities taking place in the area.

Keywords: Anthropogenic Activities; Environment; Pollution; Water Sanitation and Quality

1. Introduction lems. Studies by [2-4] showed significant levels of nitrate, fecal coliform and lead in the groundwater from Abidjan. Abidjan where the village of Abia Koumassi is located is currently experiencing a population growth, rapid Indus- The study of [5] about water and sediments of the Ebrié trialization and urbanization and unplanned growth. This lagoon showed also high levels of Metallic Trace Ele- change causes so many problems that the authorities must ments in the sediments of the same lagoon. According to solve. Among these problems, we can mention the pollu- these authors, this lagoon is subject to anthropogenic tion of water resources. Many industrial and domestic pollution due to the discharge of domestic and industrial activities are probably a real danger to the urban envi- sewage untreated or inadequately treated. Metallic Trace ronment. Elements are factors of important pollution in aquatic In this locality, the various districts do not have ade- ecosystems [6] because of their toxicity and ability to quate provisions because all the sewage and sanitation accumulate in biota. According to these authors, one of system of Abidjan is insufficient, with many gaps. Ac- the important properties of Metallic Trace Elements re- cording to [1], the rate of household connections to the sults from production activities and human consumption. sewerage system is limited to 29%. The uncollected wastes These elements are not biodegradable. (45%) are found directly in the nature involving the risk The development of industrial activities notably the of deterioration of groundwater quality. The groundwater sector of oil field in Côte d’Ivoire in the south of Abidjan in the city of Abidjan is subject to various pollution prob- is not without risk for groundwater pollution. The Ground-

Copyright © 2013 SciRes. JEP 1100 Anthropogenic Activities and the Degradation of the Environmental Quality in Poor Neighborhoods of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Abia Koumassi Village water from this area is supplied by direct infiltration of 2. Material and Methods rainwater. The stormwater infiltration is favored by a high 2.1. Study Area coefficient of infiltration and a low level of water from the Quaternary [7]. However, a large part of the popula- Abidjan is located in the south of Côte d’Ivoire, between tion, especially in the south of Abidjan in general and in latitudes 5˚00' and 5˚30' North and longitudes 3˚50' and the village of Abia Koumassi in particular uses water of 4˚10' West. It consists of ten municipalities, including the shallow aquifer for domestic needs. In all the world, that of Koumasi where the village of Abia Koumasi is water pollution is one of the most crucial problems which located (Figure 1). Abia Koumasi is located in the south every country must solved. To date, many researchers of the town of Port-Bouet and has about 4000 inhabitants. have conducted extensive surveys of water resources con- People who live in this village are mostly indigenous tamination [8-10]. The results demonstrated that the pol- Ebrié, the Ivorian immigrants from other regions of Côte lution of water results from anthropogenic activities of d’Ivoire. In addition to these populations, there are alien different regions. This study aims to assess environmental from the Economic Community of West African States risks linked to human activities on the quality of the wa- and other countries bordering Côte d’Ivoire. The geology ter in the village of Abia Koumassi. of the village of Abia Koumassi is the same with the

Figure 1. Presentation of the study area and the location of sampling points of water.

Southern District of Abidjan, located on the coastal sedi- 2.3. Water Sampling Method mentary basin of Côte d’Ivoire. The bedrock geological A hydrochemical and microbiological sampling of the of the District of Abidjan consists of two main types of water resources of the village Abia Koumassi was con- rocks: Precambrian basement and coastal sedimentary ducted in june 2010. This period of water sampling in basin. In the Abidjan area, outcrops of Precambrian are Abidjan was the rainy season. The samples were focused rare. It is only found in Anyama and North-East Attiékoi. on well water and water from the Ebrié lagoon. During The Continental Terminal, formation of Mio-Pliocene this campaign, the water samples for chemical analysis age is characterized by a lenticular stratification, coarse were collected in polyethylene bottles of 1 liter capacity, sands, clays of variegated ferruginous sandstone and iron previously washed with nitric acid and then with distilled ore. On the paleogeograhic, from the Cretaceous to the water. On the field, before filling the bottles, they were Quaternary three episodes of transgression are well known: washed three times with water to collect. Albo-Aptian: clays and sandstones of the Lower Creta- Bottle filling was done to the brim and the screw cap ceous, Maastrichtian-Eocene: glauconitic clays, sands and to prevent gas exchange with the atmosphere. Water sam- clays and lower Miocene: black marl relics sharks, col- ples were then transported in a cooler at 4˚C for labora- orful clays and lignites. During periods of transgression, tory for analysis in the hour of sampling. During sam- marine sediments are clays, marl, sandstone, sand and pling, the physical parameters of water (the Ebrié lagoon limestone shells, or lumachelliques. It is also found in and groundwater) such as temperature (T), pH and elec- these formations Foraminifera, Ammonite and Nautilus trical conductivity (EC), salinity, dissolved oxygen (O2) features, notably on the beaches of Fresco. However, these and the redox potential (Eh) were measured. In total, we episodes of marine sedimentation interspersed with con- have collected for chemical analysis 10 samples with 8 tinental phases related to a decline in the sea. From the hand dug wells and 2 Ebrié lagoon. On the water samples, structural point of view, the ivorian sedimentary basin is two types of analysis were performed. It is the analysis of crossed by a large fault called the East-West fault la- major ions and metallic trace elements. For major ions, goons south dipping, with a rejection reaching 5000 m. 2+ 2+ + +  2+ elements analyzed are Ca , Mg , Na , K , NH4 , Fe In the area, the Quaternary aquifer contains the most 2   for cations and SO4 , HCO3 , NO3 for anions. Metals vulnerable water in Abidjan. The Quaternary aquifer has such as Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr and Co were deter- from top to bottom four (4) horizons. Formations 1 and 2 mined in water. The Metallic Trace Elements were ana- are generally marly clay and waterproof. It contains also lyzed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). two types of groundwater. The Oogolien groundwater Samples for bacteriological analysis were collected in grows mainly in fine to coarse sand of layer 3, while that 500 ml bottles previously sterilized and kept free from of Nouakchottian lays in coarse marine sands layer 4. contamination in a cooler at 4˚C. In these samples, bacte- The piezometric level of groundwater in the aquifer is riological analysis has concerned bacteria such as Es- shallow and varies from 0 to 1 m. The greatest fluctua- cherichia coli, faecal streptococci, coliforms and Clus- tion is about 1 m depending on the season, indicating a tridium perfringens thermo tolerant. A total of 10 water sizable infiltration rate of rainwater into the soil. Quarter- samples were also collected for this analysis, eight (8) nary sources are quite numerous along the borders of the wells and two (2) of the Ebrié lagoon. Field equipment Ebrié lagoon, which highlights the conditions of evacua- used for this study consists of 4 Star pH meter to measure tion of part of the excess water provided by precipitation. the pH and Eh, Hach conductivity SENSION 5 for meas- uring physical parameters of the water. In this study, all 2.2. Piezometric Study Method wells that have been sampled are used for domestic ac- The aim of the hydrogeological study was to measure the tivities of populations. piezometric level of groundwater of the Quaternary aquifer in the month of June 2010, which corresponds to 2.4. Methods of Data Processing the rainy season in the large city of Abidjan. The piezo- The data collected in this study were treated from three metric campaign helped in the inventory of all water hydrogeochemical approaches. The piezometric data were points in the area. The measurements were made on 9 collected to know the range of the groundwater level in hand dug wells. Fieldwork required the use of a Garmin the area. That helps us to follow the influence of anthro- GPS Map 60 CSX for the identification of geographical pogenic activities in the study area. Piezometric data are coordinates in UTM different wells taken as piezometers. also used to determine groundwater flowing main direction. This study was performed using a probe piezometric On the other hand, the data processing involved a com- OTT light and sound (100 m) to measure the water depth bination of statistical methods mutlivariate and hydro- and a digital camera Sony for taking pictures. chemical method. The hydrochemical approach required

Copyright © 2013 SciRes. JEP 1102 Anthropogenic Activities and the Degradation of the Environmental Quality in Poor Neighborhoods of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Abia Koumassi Village the use of the triangular diagram of Piper for the classi- of Abia Koumassi are shown in Table 1. In the area, fication of the water studied. This method allows a group groundwater is shallow. The piezometric level of the of water points in key classes that form hydrofacies. The groundwater measured varies from 0.13 m to 0.79 m, statistical method used is the cluster analysis. It allows with an average of 0.55 m. Piezometric study shows that the study of phenomena at the origin of the mineralize- groundwater flow from north to south. Thus the main tion of the water. Cluster analysis is a powerful tool to direction of groundwater flowing during the pollution is analyze data for water chemistry and formulation of from the village of Abia Koumassi to the sea downstream. geochemical models [11]. This classification system that uses the Euclidean distance for similarity measures and 3.2. Hydrochemical Study the method of guardianship link that produces the most distinctive classification where each member in a group The results of measurements of physical parameters of is more similar to his colleagues that any member outside groundwater and lagoon water measured are listed in the group is used in hydrogeology by authors such as Table 2. The temperature of Ebrié lagoon varies from [12-14]. This analysis includes 10 descriptors and 18 29˚C to 29.3˚C, with an average of 29.15˚C ± 0.15˚C. variables are: salinity (Sal.), electrical conductivity (EC), Groundwater temperature ranging between 27.7˚C and 2+ 2+ 2+ + +  29.8˚C, with an average of 28.73˚C ± 0.26˚C. The pH of pH and ions such as Fe , Ca , Mg , Na , K , NO3 ,  2 Ebrié lagoon water varies from 7.26 to 7.43, with an HCO3 , SO4 and the metallic trace elements Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr and Co. It was conducted using the average of 7.35 ± 0.08. Groundwater sampled from hand STATISTICA 6.0 software. Those methods used in this dug wells has a pH ranging between 6.8 and 7.62, with study allowed to know the mechanism of mineralization an average of 7.15 ± 0.09. That indicates that water of of water in the village of Abia Koumassi and their rela- the village has low acidity. tionship with human activities. The redox potential of the water varies from −5.06 to −4.08 mV, with an average of −4.57 ± 0.49 mV for water 3. Results from Ebrié lagoon. For the groundwater, the Eh varies from −22.60 mV to −72.70 mV, with an average of 3.1. Study of Flow Directions of Groundwater −42.72 ± 5.38 mV. The values of redox potential show The piezometric measurements carried out in the village that water of the village is in reducer environment. This

Table 1. Piezometric data collected in the field.

Measures points X (m) Y (m) Level piezometric (m) Water coast (m) depth (m) Water film = P-H (m) P1 392805 583026 0.13 0.87 0.95 0.82 P2 392726 583022 0.695 0.305 1.465 0.77 P3 392890 583139 0.63 0.37 1.19 0.56 P4 392870 583136 0.49 0.51 1.48 0.99 P5 393732 582319 0.64 0.36 1.7 1.06 P6 393738 582342 0.79 0.21 1.68 0.89 P7 393885 582407 0.35 0.65 1.32 0.97 P8 393347 582327 0.76 0.24 1.4 0.64 P9 393606 582327 0.44 0.56 2.09 1.65

Table 2. Summary of in situ measurements of the physical parameters of water.

−1 −1 Measures points Sal ‰ CE (μS/cm) TDS (mg·L ) pH T˚C Dissolve O2 (mg·L ) Eh (mv) Lagoon East 3.8 6980 3700 7.26 29 4.57 −4.08 Lagoon West 4.2 7670 4100 7.43 29.3 4.25 −5.06 P1 0.3 585 284 7.17 29.8 2.3 −34.6 P2 0.4 784 383 6.8 29.8 3.72 −22.6 P3 0.3 671 326 7.14 28.7 4.11 −43.6 P4 0.4 762 372 7.62 27.7 3.9 −72.7 P5 0.5 1075 529 7.3 28.4 4.1 −53.2 P6 - 1310 741 7.04 28.7 1.72 −37.8 P7 0.6 1197 590 7.17 28.4 2.13 −45.2 P8 0.4 878 429 6.95 28.3 3.71 −32.1

is also reflected by the low dissolved oxygen values ob- 3.3. Hydrochemical Classification of Water served in water. Dissolved oxygen values of the Ebrié Water Classification from Piper diagram identifies two lagoon range between 4.25 mg·L−1 and 4.57 mg·L−1, with an average of 4.41 ± 0.16 mg·L−1. The Groundwater has types of water in the area (Figure 2). In the area, the dissolved oxygen values which vary from 1.72 to 4.11 most important anion in water is the sulphates and the mg·L−1, with a mean of 3.21 ± 0.35 mg·L−1. greatest cation is calcium. The Water from the village is highly mineralized, with an electrical conductivity average 7325 ± 99.50 µS/cm 3.4. Multivariate Statistical Study: Cluster for the water of the Ebrié lagoon and 907.75 ± 10.26 Analysis µS/cm for the groundwater. The average salinity is 4.00‰ The analysis from the Ascending Hierarchical Classifica- ± 0.28‰ for water from Ebrié lagoon and 0.40‰ ± 0.04‰ tion gave the graph below. The dendrogram (Figure 3) for groundwater. Total dissolved solids are in average −1 highlights two main groupes of variables. The first con- 333.50 ± 49.50 mg·L for water from the lagoon and 2+ 2+ +  2  −1 sists of Mg , Fe , K , NO3 , SO4 , pH, EC, HCO3 , 497.83 ± 62.90 mg·L for hand dug wells water. Ca2+ and Na+. This group consists of major ions whose The results of chemical analysis carried out on ground- dissolution is governed by the contact of water with the water and the lagoon water from Abia village Koumassi substratum. This shows the intervention of the geology in are recorded in Table 3. The Water sampling contains the mineralization of water in the village of Abia Kou- high concentrations of Fe2+. The values vary from 0.07 massi. However, the presence of nitrate in this group mg·L−1 to 12.8 mg·L−1, with an average of 17.08 ± 15.86 highlights the influence of nitrogen mineralization after mg·L−1 for the groundwater. These high concentrations −1 domestic activities in water. The second group consists of (12.8 mg·L ) occur at the water from a well located in a former iron scrap. In addition, the groundwater contains trace metal elements (Co, Cu, Cd, Ni, Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb) high levels of nitrate, which vary between 0.19 mg·L−1 which dissolved in water is related to urban anthropogenic and 116.81 mg·L−1, with a mean of 32.86 ± 15.66 mg·L−1. activities. This highlights the influence of human activi- These high nitrate levels are a greater danger to the ties in the mineralization of water resources in the study health plan for the population using well water for their area, therefore the degradation of the physico-chemical domestic needs. quality of water from the village of Abia Koumassi. The The analysis results of metallic trace elements con- classification of water points according to their similarity tained in the water samples are shown in Table 3. Analy- to part of a follow-up is given in Figure 4. This dendro- sis shows that manganese is virtually absent in the water. gram shows three clusters of water points. The first group Groundwater and lagoon water contain also Ni (0.072 contains the water of the Ebrié lagoon (Lag. E and Lag. mg·L−1 and 0.085 mg·L−1 for water lagoon), Zn (0.077 W). The second are wells P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P7 and P8 mg·L−1 for well water), Pb (0.004 mg·L−1 for well water), and the third only represented by the well P6. In the con- Cr (0.649 mg·L−1 for lagoon water and 0.613 mg·L−1 for text of monitoring water quality, it is important to choose well water), Co (0.115 mg·L−1 for lagoon water and a track point in each cluster, three monitoring points are 0.361 mg·L−1 for well water). needed.

Table 3. Results of chemical analysis of water from Abia Koumassi expressed in mg·L−1.

Sampling    Fe2+ Ca2+ Mg2+ Na+ K+ NO HCO SO Mn Ni Zn Cd Cu Pb Cr Co points 3 3 4 Lagoon East 0.20 78.40 63.40 200.70 47.80 0.27 31 270 <0.001 0.072 0.011 <0.001 0.026 <0.001 0.591 0.115 Lagoon West 0.25 152 130 202.60 54.30 0.66 52 225 <0.001 0.085 0.012 0.003 0.023 <0.001 0.649 0.109 P1 0.62 80 30 26.50 22.50 0.65 105 25 <0.001 0.074 0.018 0.019 0.025 0.004 0.001 0.126 P2 0.27 102 10.80 72.11 20.30 116.81 23 58 <0.001 0.083 0.077 <0.001 0.026 <0.001 0.094 0.002 P3 Ste Thérèse 0.38 30 25 70.80 25.60 67.79 103 65 <0.001 0.018 0.03 <0.001 0.021 <0.001 0.380 0.015 church P4 Chief 0.07 80 24 79.60 32.01 5.761 140 39 <0.001 0.003 0.013 <0.001 0.020 <0.001 0.34 0.022 P5 Akwuaba 0.19 200 15.30 75.8 45.10 6.99 43 265 <0.001 0.014 0.004 0.005 0.013 0.001 0.474 0.149 P6 old storage 128 450 280 203.40 88.90 0.19 296 350 0.687 0.145 0.021 0.013 0.03 0.002 0.613 0.361 of iron P7 Airport 5.60 32 28.80 56.80 35.99 1.05 180 200 0.07 0.059 0.217 0.027 0.02 0.003 0.277 0.122 P8 Washing 1.50 140 30 65.50 35.10 63.65 113 90 <0.001 0.03 0.054 0.013 0.025 0.001 0.43 0.209

Figure 2. Classification of ions from water of Abia Koumassi village.

Figure 3. Cluster analysis of physico-chemical parameters of water from Abia Koumassi.

Figure 4. Cluster analysis of water points in the village of Abia Koumassi.

3.5. Study Microbiological Water water in the city of Abidjan revealed significant levels of nitrate in the water. In fact, this shanty town of Abidjan The microbiological results of water analysis from Abia does not have an adequate sanitation system for the dis- Koumassi show the presence of fecal coliforms mainly posal of domestic wastewater. Escherichia coli in the water studied. This is particularly They, are found in the nature before seeping into the the water of the Ebrié lagoon and hand dug wells P3, P4, ground and then into groundwater. Surface water is influ- P5 and P8. The analysis indicates high rate of faecal enced by domestic, industrial and artisanal activities hap- streptococci in groundwater. These include wells P1 and pening in the city. Nitrogen compounds found in water P5 respectively (1000 and 330 faecal streptococci per come mainly from the degradation of organic matter by 100 ml of water). The water level of the lagoon is about microorganisms in the topsoil. According to [18] in the 240 and 210 faecal streptococci per 100 ml of water. soil, organic matter is mineralized from the biological Thermo-tolerant coliforms are the most important in the oxidation of NH to NO . Changes produced in the area, with quantities of 35,000 and 110,000 for lagoon 4 3 surface are caused by leaching, with infiltration of rainwater. For well water, we have more than 5000 - 29,000 water in depth. The high nitrate levels are also associated thermo tolerant coliform per 100 ml of water in wells P3, with high levels of metalllic trace elements (MTE) in P4 and P5. water of the village. According to the statistical studies Clustridium perfringens occur in the water from the the high levels of MTE including Co, Cr, Fe, and Cu Ebrié lagoon the west side (120 Clustridium Perfringens/ come from anthropogenic activities related to domestic, 20ml water). In well water, they are present in wells P1 Industrial and artisanal activities. Studies of [14] showed and P2, respectively 120 and 60 Clustridium Perfringens/ excessive lead in well water areas of Koumassi, Marcory 20ml water. Different bacteria in the water of the village and Port-Bouet. These neighborhoods are old and highly of Abia Kumasi show recent water microbiological pol- urbanized. There is found industrial parks, gas stations lution of human origin, therefore the influence of water and various craft activities that could be the source of by human activities in the study area. this metal pollution of groundwater. To this is added the 4. Discussion contribution of runoff from urban storms and leaching of metals from garbage and soluble residues. According to The Water studied in the village of Abia Koumassi, con- [19], rainwater is universally recognized as being the sist of surface water (water of the Ebrié lagoon) and vector of large amounts of pollution in their path leach- groundwater (hand dug well water). The physical pa- ing metals (Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn and Cd), salts, hydrocarbons rameters of water measurement on the field show that the fertilizers, pesticides and other waste or littering roads pH is near the neutrality and ranges between 6.8 and 7.43. and parking or suspended in the air. The rainwater seeps The Water has a temperature that varies from 28.3˚C to into the ground to reach the shallow aquifers later. The 29.8˚C. These values fall within the range of values ob- shallowness of the water and sewerage failure of the city served temperatures in the water of coastal sedimentary of Abidjan is the factors that promote the infiltration of basin by Ivorian [2,14,15]. These temperatures correspond these pollutants into the groundwater of the Quaternary. to seasonal ambient air temperatures. This indicates the In the city of Abidjan, the development of human activi- opening of the aquifer system, and therefore its vulner- ties causes significant releases of domestic and industrial ability in front of pollution [16]. The electrical conduc- effluents, which is the main source of production of MTE tivities measured from water are very high, with mean in the environment and in the water of the city (surface values of 7325 ± 99.50 µS/cm for lagoon water and water and groundwater). Moreover, [5] have also found 907.75 ± 10.26 µS/cm for groundwater. These greatest high levels of MTE in sediment of the Ebrié lagoon in values show the influence of human activities on the Abidjan. Today, the metal pollution of water is a real physical quality of water in the village. Indeed, Quarter- environmental problem in Africa. The studies of [20] nary aquifers are generally shallow groundwater outcrop- also highlighted high levels of MTE in sediments of Lake ping in places and therefore exposed to pollution from Fouarat Morocco. For water, the observed metal pollu- domestic and industrial activities [7]. tion in the environment is rooted in human activities The multivariate analysis showed the influence of an- namely, discharges of garbage, leaching and agricultural thropogenic pollution (industrial, domestic and artisanal discharges associated with industrial activities. In Nigeria, pollution) of water resources of village Abia Koumassi. significant levels were observed by MTE and [21] in The presence of nitrate in hand dug wells water (116.81 water of the main river of the state of Ondo. In Morocco, mg·L−1), at levels higher than the [17] standard for drink- these high levels were also observed by [22] in the irriga- ing water (50 mg·L−1) show that the water is unfit for hu- tion water of a rice field in Gharb. man consumption. Indeed, studies by [13-15] on ground- [20] add to these sources of metal pollution mechanical

Copyright © 2013 SciRes. JEP 1106 Anthropogenic Activities and the Degradation of the Environmental Quality in Poor Neighborhoods of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: Abia Koumassi Village garages, workshops, surface treatment by painting vehi- ter contains recent microbiological pollution. Thus the cles, stations, distribution of petroleum products, and tex- quality of water resources in Abia Koumassi is controlled tile industries pollution. According to [23], human activi- by anthropogenic activities in the area. ties are causing pollution of groundwater Mzamza community in Morocco. In the plain of El Ma El Abiod Al- REFERENCES geria, [24] showed that groundwater is also threatened by many homes anthropogenic pollution such as urbaniza- [1] K. J. Kouamé, “Contribution à la Gestion Intégrée des tion, industry, livestock and dumps. 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They are mainly from industrial, crafts, ur- Vol. 43, No. 8, 2009, pp. 2159-2168. ban and domestic discharges. Microbiological analysis http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2009.02.035 showed that the water contains significant levels of fecal [9] A. Emad, S. Mohammad, A. Z. Tahseen and S. A Ahmed, coliform type Escherichia coli, faecal streptococci, Clus- “Assessment of Heavy Metals Pollution in the Sediments of Euphrates River, Iraq,” Journal of Water Resource and tridium perfringens and thermo tolerant coliform. The Protection, Vol. 4, No. 12, 2012, pp. 1009-1023. presence of these microorganisms in the water shows that http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2012.412117 the water resources of the village are facing a recent fae- [10] K. J. Fatombi, A. T. Ahoyo, O. Nonfodji and T. Aminou, cal pollution of human origin. 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